Originally Posted by Cocal

I've observed that if you press the accelerator gently and then hold it at that level there is very little to no searching for gear, but if I press to the bottom even if gently it searches for what gear to use and because it has more gears to chose from there is hesitation. Still a far cry from the old trannies when you put the hammer down and you had instant acceleration, but then those had from 3 to 5 gears to chose from, now they have from 8 to 10.

Originally Posted by xxx350L

Today I tackled the transmission issue...I SOLD IT! I had the RX 350L AWD with luxury pkg since March 2019 and this car did not disappoint on resale value, plus covid has caused used car values to increase by 20%. The 2022 MDX Type S with SH-AWD is on my radar, but the wait could be maybe 6 months or more because of the chip shortage. I wish all of you the very best, stay healthy and safe.

Originally Posted by Rxyen

I don't think having 8 gears is an excuse for how poorly the transmission shifts on the RX. My 9-speed Odyssey shifts way smoother and predictably compared to this junk. It's a product of the ****-poor programming that went into the TCU.

Originally Posted by GSFRX350

Not sure if that's the same "hesitation" that I'm thinking of. I know the car tends to not go instantly, maybe because of the "drive by wire" system but I'm referring to the fact the transmission changes up gear too soon.

You slow down for a corner at an intersection and try accelerating out GENTLY, the car will change up gear too soon. It doesn't go fast enough for you so give it more gas and the car suddenly changes down a gear (or two) and takes off, particular if the road you turn onto is going uphill. This is in Normal Mode, put it in Sports Mode and the car will hold that lower gear as you exit the turn and allow you to accelerate faster.

In my town it's very flat and being a town of 30,000 people it's pretty slow on the roads, no big city stress, and I drive gently, small throttle openings and the car works fine for me. If I do try to drive faster (particularly in a big city) I get the hesitation, that's when I use Sports Mode, holds the gears better and an overall smoother driving experience. Same when I drive around where my daughter lives, very hilly terrain and the car suffers badly with the hesitation in Normal Mode so I put it in Sports Mode.

We don't have the TSB here in Australia but we do use a mid tier premium fuel as recommended by Lexus so that may help to alleviate the issue somewhat.

Originally Posted by Rxyen

Congrats, @xxx350L. Seriously. I'm also considering getting rid of my RX after just 1.5 years of ownership. The crappy transmission/shifting makes it a nightmare to drive this vehicle. Like I said earlier, my 9-speed Odyssey shifts much smoother and knows when to hold gears and when to upshift, resulting in a much better driving experience than the RX! I just can't believe Lexus dropped the ball here!

Originally Posted by gnguyen

Gratz on getting rid of it! My dad's Honda Pilot and my Ram 1500 shift flawlessly. For a V8, the Ram 1500 cabin noise is non-existent (no drone, no vibration) compared to the RX350. I'm about to trade the 2019 RX350 for a Macan/Cayenne. For the 1st time in 35 years, I will be free of Toyota/Lexus product. Good riddance.

Originally Posted by xxx350L

Today I tackled the transmission issue...I SOLD IT! I had the RX 350L AWD with luxury pkg since March 2019 and this car did not disappoint on resale value, plus covid has caused used car values to increase by 20%. The 2022 MDX Type S with SH-AWD is on my radar, but the wait could be maybe 6 months or more because of the chip shortage. I wish all of you the very best, stay healthy and safe.

Originally Posted by ericsan13

My RX450h is much smoother than my Macan with it's PDK for what it's worth. But don't let that stop you, the Macan is amazing and a different type of car.

Originally Posted by gadgetman1

I have never driven a Macan, only a Cayenne. I’m very interested in both. PM me so we don’t go off topic with the differences & likes & dislikes. The Cayenne I drove had the dual clutch automatic transmission & it was very noticeable & ended up being the reason I passed on it, since it was used. The closest dealer is not very good in my opinion.

Staying on track, for those ready to jump ship - be careful what you wish for, you might get it & more. This is a very precarious economy with micro chip shortages out the wazoo. You very well might sell your fussy RX at a good price, but your selection to replace it will be greatly diminished & with shortages everywhere, the good deals will be in short supply also. I decided to just hang on & see what happens. I don’t hate my car, it’s just not fulfilling or as versatile as I had hoped. I can live with that, especially in that I only have 35,000 miles on a 2016. I would encourage everyone to pursue the TSB & stay on the dealers. Make them accountable. This will become very important as we come out of this crappy, strange time.

Originally Posted by joytoy999

Hi,
Yes I did think about my options if I sold my car but I think we are going to try to live with one car for now (or at least until the used car market calms down).

The dealer applied the TSB and after feeling no difference at all, I took it to another dealership and asked them to reset the battery but they refused because they said the first dealer already installed the update (but it is my theory that the first dealer did not disconnect the battery which I thought was required). They would not budge on this. Any advice?

Thanks!

Originally Posted by gadgetman1

Have you contacted your regional service manager or the general manager of the dealership? They can really make things happen. Also contact Lexus corporate & lodge a complaint & get a case number. Talk to local TV news that have consumer advocacy departments. The squeaky wheel gets the grease. Also, research your states lemon laws. Talk to some local lemon law attorneys & see if filing a case is appropriate. Sometimes the outcomes are mandatory orders for the company to either fix or replace the vehicle or part, sometimes there is a cash settlement & you keep the car & other times the company is ordered to buy back the faulty vehicle & refund your money. Pursue all angles & decide what works best for you.

I went on Detroit TV & embarrassed FCA because they ignored me & denied the obvious problems. Everyone has inherit rights & if they don’t stand up for them, they will go away or they will be ignored. At first I just wanted my vehicle fixed or replaced. It quickly became apparent that they were not willing to do that, so I pursued a refund. Choose what you want as an outcome & then don’t back down.

Originally Posted by joytoy999

Hi,
Yes I did think about my options if I sold my car but I think we are going to try to live with one car for now (or at least until the used car market calms down).

The dealer applied the TSB and after feeling no difference at all, I took it to another dealership and asked them to reset the battery but they refused because they said the first dealer already installed the update (but it is my theory that the first dealer did not disconnect the battery which I thought was required). They would not budge on this. Any advice?

Thanks!

Originally Posted by GSFRX350

Absolutely the power needs to be disconnected. This is just like updates on computers, it's downloaded and sits there waiting to be actually installed, the power cycle installs the software. How did the second dealer know it's been installed? By looking at online records? Looking at a label on the car? Or did they actually see the update installed on the vehicle through their laptop? I wonder if there's something else going on here if you felt no difference at all? Many on here say it DOES make a difference, how much difference is open to debate though.

Originally Posted by joytoy999

The second dealer knew the TSB had been previously applied because it was in the online records and I asked them do it again but they refused. At that point I asked them to just disconnect the battery but when I went to get my car they said they did not and would not disconnect the battery.